Overhead electric railway



(No Model.)

R. M. HUNTER. OVERHEAD ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 497,025. Pat ented May 9, 1893,

FIG.2

HQTOUTHD. WASHINGTON. 05c,

NrrEn STATES PATENT OFFICE,

RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THETHOMSON-HOUSTON ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CONNECTICUT.

OVERH EAD ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 497,025, dated May 9,1893.

Original application filed September 23, 1886, Serial No. 214,309.Divided and application filed June 1, 1887, Serial No. 239,930. Againdivided and this application filed septemher 18, 1890. Serial No. 365,361. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RUDOLPH M. HUNTER, of the city and county ofPhiladelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement inElectric Railways, of which th following is a specification.

My invention has reference to electric railways, and consists of certainimprovements which are fully set forth in the following specificationand shown in the accompanying drawings which form a part thereof.

This application, Case No. 17 2, 1s a division of my application,Serial-No. 239,930, filed June 1, 1887, which in tupn is a division ofmy application, Serial No. 214,309, filed September 23, 1886.

The essential features of my system lie in the use of one or moresuspended working conductors arranged along the track, combined with oneor more supply conductors for supplying electricity thereto, and anelectrically propelled vehicle provided with a traveling collectormaking contact with the working conductor and having its weightsustained and moved by the vehicle. There may be two suspended workingconductors and two supply conductors, if so desired, or there may beemployed one suspended conductor, and the rails and the earth may beused as a return circuit. The suspended working conductor or conductorsare bared, and may be made in the form of flexible cables, wires, orrods.

The invention herein set out is specially adapted to railways operatinga number of cars on the same circuit. These suspended conductors may bedirectly connected with the source of electric energy, or they may beconnected indirectly thereto by means of fixed supply conductors(preferably insulated) either supported above or below the ground, whichsupply and working conductors are connected at intervals by branchconductors. If two suspended conductors are employed there will be twocollectors to each car, but if desired the rails may be used as thereturn conductor, and only one upwardly extending current collectingdevice employed.

Another portion of my invention comprehends the employment in anelectric railway having a suspended line conductor with which thevehicle makes a traveling connection of a source of electric energy, anda regulator for controlling the current passing through the line.

In the drawings:-Figure l is an elevation of an electric railwayembodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the upperportion of Fig. 1 showing the suspended conductors and collectors. Fig.3 is a cross secton showing a modified arrangement of suspended workingconductors, and Fig. 4 is a cross section of an electric railway and carshowing the rails used as the return conductors.

A are the vertical posts of wood or metal and support the workingsuspended conductors B B, which may be supported by suitable pivotedcounterbalancing lover or supports B by which they are suspended fromthe said posts. be connected directly with these working conductors, ormay be connected to supply conductors b b which are preferably insulatedand permanently secured to the posts, or otherwise supported, the saidconductors being electrically connected with the working conductors atintervals by branch conductors b. The generator may be provided with aresistance changer or regulator A to regulate the line current passingto the suspended conductor or conductors. It will be observed that thisregulator or resistance changer is preferably arranged in a shuntcircuit around the armature of the generator and is adapted to regulatethe field of the generating ma chine. A regulator of this characterenables the output of the generator to be changed at will to comply withthe requirements of the number of cars in circuit, and the machine beingshunt wound is a constant potential generator, and automaticallydelivers the current in accordance with the demand due to handregulation of the motors on the various cars.

A are the rails of the railway upon which the electrically propelledvehicle 0 runs, and are arranged parallel to the working conductors.

The car or vehicle 0 is provided with a suit- The generator ofelectricity A may able collector, preferably upwardly extending abovethe roof of the car, and provided with contact wheels or collectors C Osecured thereto and insulated from each other; and the said wheels areadapted to run under the conductors B B receiving the current therefrom.

The car is provided with an electric motor D mechanically connected withthe axle for the purpose of propelling the car or vehicle, and a motorcircuit E includes the motor and connects with the contact wheels orcollectors 0 A regulator or resistance changer e is arranged upon thecar in the motor circuit for controlling the speed and power of themotor. There may be any number of cars employed in circuit, and theywould all be coupled in parallel with the line conductors. Each wouldhave the collector or collectors, motor, and hand regulator e forstopping or starting or changing the speed of the car independently ofother cars. The generator supplies current to suit the requirement ofthe various cars. The potential always remains the same though thecurrent may vary. 7

In place ofsupporting the conductors by levers or projecting arms asabove described, the working conductors may be supported normally in themetal bracket A as shown in Figs. 3 and 4:, to which brackets the supplyconductors b are secured. In this construction the rollers or collectingwheels 0 on the arm projecting from the car lift the cables orconductors clear of the brackets while passing under them and over thesaid brackets as indicated in the drawings.

The conductors or cables may be simply light wires, rods, or cables oftwisted wires, as

desired, and may be suspended in any suitable manner so long as theyexpose an unobstructed under surface to the collector of the car. Theremay be simply one suspended working conductor, the rails being used asthe other conductor, and preferably the return circuit for the current.This construction is shown in Fig. t.

I do not limit myself to the details of construction as they may bemodified in various ways without departing from the principles ofmyinvention,w11ich comprehends broadly the constructions herein set out.

In this application I do not claim the specitic constructioncontemplating the use of two suspended working conductors with orwithout independent supply conductors, and

with two electrically independent contact deductor, an electric motor onthe vehicle to propel it, a motor circuit and hand regulator on thevehicle, and a traveling collector having its weight sustained and movedby said vehicle and consisting of a support having a grooved contactwheel making contact with the under side of said suspended conductor andsupplying current to the motor circuit.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of a suspended workingconductor, a fixed source of electric energy to supply electricitythereto, a traveling vehicle, tracks for said vehicle parallel to saidworking conductor, an electric motor on the vehicle to propel it, amotor circuit on the vehicle, a hand regulator on the vehicle to controlthe current in the motor circuit, and a traveling collector having itsweight sustained and moved by said vehicle and making contact with saidsuspended conductor, said collector consisting of an upwardly extendingarm arranged above the roof of the car, and provided with a groovedcontact moving against the under surface of the working conductor andsupplying current to the motor circuit.

3. In an electric railway, a suspended bared working conductor extendingalong'the rail- Way, traveling electrically propelled vehicles havingupwardly extending current collecting devices for collectingcurrent'from said suspended conductor, a fixed generator of electricity,a supply conductor extending from the generator to the suspendedconductor, and a resistance changer arranged adjacent to the generatorfor varying the current delivered by the generator tothe supply circuit.

4. In an electric railway, asuspended'working conductor, a generator ofelectricity electrically connected with said suspended workingconductor, a traveling vehicle provided with an electric motor connectedwith its axle, a current collecting device moving in contact with thesuspended conductor and a current regulator to control the currentsupplied by the generator to the suspended working conductor.

5. In an electric railway, a suspended working conductor arranged alongthe railway, a supply conductor connected at intervals with the workingconductor, a generator of electricity for supplying electricity to thesupply conductor, means to control the current supplied by the generatorto the supply con ductor, a traveling electrically propelled vehicle,and a current collecting device carried by the vehicle and making atraveling connection with the suspended working con* ductor.

6. In an electric railway, a suspended workin g conductor arranged alongthe railway having its under surface exposed, a supply conductorconnected at intervals with the working conductor, a generator ofelectricity for supplying electricity to the supply conductor, means tocontrol the current supplied by the generator to the supply conductor atraveling electrically propelled vehicle, and an upwardly extendingcurrent collecting device carried by the vehicle above its roof andmaking a traveling connection with the underside of the suspendedworking conductor.

7. In an electric railway, the combination of a suspended electricworking conductor, a stationary source of electric energy to supplyelectricity thereto, a traveling vehicle,tracks for said vehicleparallel to said working conductor constituting the return circuit orconductors, an electric motor on the vehicle to propel it, a motorcircuit and hand regulator on the vehicle, and a traveling collectorhaving its weight sustained and moved by said vehicle and consisting ofa support having a grooved contact wheel making contact with the underside of said suspended conductor and supplying current to the motorcircuit.

8. In an electric railway, the combination of a suspended workingconductor, a fixed source of electric energy to supply electricitythereto, a traveling vehicle, tracks for said vehicle parallel to saidworking conductor constituting the return circuit or conductors, anelectric motor on the vehicle to propelit, a motor circuit on thevehicle, a hand regulator on the vehicle to control the current in themotor circuit, and a traveling collector having its weight sustained andmoved by said vehicle and making contact with said suspended conductorsaid collector consisting of an upwardly extending arm arranged abovethe roof of the car, and provided with a grooved contact moving againstthe under surface of the working conductor and supplying current i tothe motor circuit.

ing a current collecting device making contact with the conductor, ahand regulator on the vehicle for varying the current taken from theconductor, astationary source of electric supply, and a regulator tocontrol the current delivered by the source of supply to the conductorextending along the railway.

10. In an electric railway, the combination ,of the rails acting as oneconductor, a second conductor extending along the railway, anelectrically propelled vehicle having current collecting devices makingcontact with the conductors, a hand regulator on the vehicle for varyingthe current taken from the conductors, a generator of electric currentconnected with the conductors, and a regulator to control the currentdelivered by the generator to the conductors arranged in a shunt aroundthe said conductors and adjacent to the generator.

11. In an electric railway, the combination of the rails acting as oneconductor, a second 1 conductor extending along the railway, anelectrically propelled vehicle having current collecting devices makingcontact with the conductors, a hand regulator on the vehicle for varyingthe current taken from the conductors, a generator of electric currentconnected with the conductors, and a regulator consisting of aresistance changer in series with the field coils of the generator tocontrol the current delivered by the generator to the conductors andarranged in a shunt around the said conductors and adjacent to thegenerator.

12. In an electric railway a suspended working conductor extending alongthe railway, a generator of electricity connecting with the lineconductor, a traveling electrically propelled vehicle receiving currentfrom the line conductor, a hand regulator on thevehicle for varying thecurrent taken from the conductor and acurrent controlling devicearranged adjacent to .the generator of electricity for controlling thecurrent supplied to the suspended conductor.

13. The combination in an electric railway, of rails acting as thereturn conductor, a sus pended overhead working conductor, a dynamoelectric machine for supplying current to the suspended workingconductor and the rail return and having means to regulate its field, atraveling car, an electric motor on the car, connected to rotate theaxle thereof, an upward pressure contact device carried by the carmaking a traveling connection with the under side of the suspendedconductor, a motor circuit on the car, and means to control the currentflowing through the motor circuit to vary the speed of the motor.

14. The combination in an electric railway, of rails acting as thereturn conductor, a suspended over head working conductor, a sup ply orfeeding conductor connected with the suspended working conductor, adynamo electric machine for supplying current to the suspended workingconductor through the supply or feeding conductor and to the rail returnand having means to regulate its field,

a traveling car, an electric motor on the car connected to rotate theaxle thereof, an upward pressure contact device carried by the carmaking a traveling connection with the under side of the suspendedworking conductor, a motor circuit on the car, and means to control thecurrent flowing through the motor circuit to vary the speed of themotor.

15. The combination in an electric railway, of rails acting as thereturn conductor, asuspended overhead working conductor,an overheadsupply or feeding conductor connecting with the suspended workingconductor, a dynamo electric machine for supplying current to thesuspended working conductor through the supply or feeding conductor andto the rail return, and having means to regulate its field, a travelingcar, an electric motor on the car connected to rotate the axle thereof,an upward pressure contact device carried by the car above its roofmakinga traveling connection with the under side of the suspendedworking conductor, a motor circuit on the car, means to control thecurrent flowing through the motor circuit to vary the speed of themotor, and common supports for the overhead supply or feeding conductorand the overhead working conductor.

'16. In an electric railway, a suspended working conductor arrangedabove the track, a series of poles extending along the railway,

brackets or supports upon said poles to normally support the saidsuspended conductor from below, a source of electrical energy elec-'trically connected with the suspended work *ing conductor, a travelingelectrically pro-;

pelled-vehicle, a current collecting device having'its weight whollysupported by thevehicle and making a traveling under contact withthesuspended conductor, a regulatoron the ear for controlling the speedof the motor, and means to control the generation of the currentdelivered to the working conductor to compensate for the varyingcurrents supplied to the motor on the vehicle.

In testimony of which invention :I-have 1 hereunto set my hand.

R. M. HUNTER.

Witnesses:

ERNEST HOWARD HUNTER, I S. T. 'YERKES.

